


Natural Beauty

by PhoenixDowner



Series: Aerith Week 2021 [3]
Category: Final Fantasy VII Remake (Video Game 2020)
Genre: Aerith Week, Aerith Week 2021, Developing Friendships, Friendship, Gen, Gen Work, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-10
Updated: 2021-02-10
Packaged: 2021-03-16 02:54:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29325036
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PhoenixDowner/pseuds/PhoenixDowner
Summary: As Madam M prepares Aerith to enter Don Corneo’s mansion, Aerith grapples with the unexpected luxury of it all. It’s a little odd going from slum girl to bell of the ball.
Relationships: Aerith Gainsborough & Johnny, Aerith Gainsborough & Madam M
Series: Aerith Week 2021 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2151864
Comments: 2
Kudos: 10





	Natural Beauty

Sneaking into Don Corneo’s had been Aerith’s idea. It was the best chance she and Cloud had at saving Tifa. Aerith knew this and was willing to go along with it. And yet…

“ _That’s_ the dress you want me to wear?” she squeaked. It was a beautiful dress to be sure. Magenta and strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a long, ruffled skirt complete with a slit that would show some serious leg. If she wanted every eye in the room to be on her, this was the dress to wear. It just wasn’t her style, like at all. It was gaudy and expensive and flashy, and Aerith had spent her entire life trying to blend in.

Madam M raised a very refined eyebrow. “You question my taste?”

“No, that’s not it. The dress is stunning, don’t get me wrong. I can’t imagine how much effort it took for you to find it, and I’m grateful you’re willing to lend it to me. It’s more that it’s… not really me.”

“Oh, I know,” Madam M said, her fan moving this way and that. “You dress like a mouse. Corneo doesn’t want a mouse, he wants a woman.”

“Hey!”

Madam M carefully removed the dress from its hanger. Gee, was everything this woman did elegant and graceful? Aerith felt even more like a slum girl than usual.

“Corneo has certain tastes, Aerith. They may not be your tastes nor mine, but I do know how to appeal to them.” She paused for a moment. “Not all battles are fought with swords and guns. You of all people should know that, growing up in the slums.”

It struck Aerith that she knew very little about Madam M, but Madam M had deduced a lot about her. What kind of past did this woman have? How come she was working at a hand massage parlor? And not just working here but running it?

There was a lot Aerith could learn here, and she decided now was as good a time as any to begin.

“Battle, huh?” she said as she touched the ruffles of the dress. The material was the finest she’d ever felt, soft and delicate, the ruffles forming perfect pleats. “If I’m going into battle I guess I need to dress the part, huh?”

Madam M gave her a cryptic look, then glided towards one of the many doors in this place. “Come.”

For Aerith, baths were a way to relax and unwind after a long day. She sometimes added flowers to spice things up, but otherwise she and Mom didn’t really splurge on luxuries, preferring to give what little extra money they had to those in need. Simple but comfortable was the Gainsborough way of life.

Madam M had a completely different approach to living. Aerith found herself plunged into luxury the moment she plunged into the bath Madam M’s girls had prepared for her. She was literally soaking in rose petals and rosewater, because, as Madam M kept saying, Corneo has particular tastes, and that extended all the way to skincare regimes apparently.

Aerith had to admit, it felt nice to soak in the warm, scented water. Under any other circumstance, this would be a nice treat. But instead she was getting all gussied up for a creep like Corneo. Oh well. At least it was to help Tifa.

Once she was soft and smooth and practically glowing, it was time to put on The Dress. The Dress wasn’t something you put on by yourself, and Aerith welcomed the help getting it on. It fit perfectly, as if it was made for her, hugging her curves in all the right places. The silver heels were really pretty too and made her feel like Cinderella. She tested moving around a little, and while it was more difficult than usual, she could make do.

“You’ve never owned anything like this before, have you?” Madam M said. Not a question so much as an observation.

“Flowers pay the bills, but they don’t really cover luxuries.”

“I see.”

An awkward moment of silence passed before Aerith couldn’t take it anymore.

“Well, thanks for all the help, but I really should get going, my friend needs me—”

“Not so fast,” Madam M said, holding out her fan. “We haven’t done your hair, makeup, or jewelry yet.”

Aerith wanted to groan. Her hair alone would take forever to do. There was a reason she usually wore it in a simple braid, and that was because it was easy to maintain. Kept it out of the way too, and she got to keep Zack’s ribbon and Mother’s Materia with her at all times.

“Do not worry, my girls work quickly,” Madam M said. “We will be thorough, but we will not waste your time.”

Aerith’s hair was carefully brushed, then pulled back into a high ponytail with soft waves framing her face. Madam M’s girls split the ponytail into three parts and teased it and styled it till it formed three bouncy corkscrew curls. Ribbons and flowers were woven into the curls after that. Her only request was to make sure Mother’s Materia was still tucked in her hair. It made her feel safer, like Mother was watching over her no matter what.

She loved Mom dearly too of course, but she still missed Mother from time to time. Her father she had no memory of, and she’d never gotten to meet Elmyra’s husband. What would they all think if they could see her now? Would they be proud, or…

Next was jewelry. A circlet around her arm, some bangles on the opposite hand, and a silver necklace with stars that matched her shoes and earrings. Then of course her makeup, which Madam M mercifully showed restraint on.

“You are a natural beauty, so all we need to do is draw that out, not hide any imperfections,” she purred from behind her fan. “Something that brings out your eyes… a little light brown eyeliner, perhaps, and some pink lipgloss… Yes, that looks good…” 

At last Madam M was satisfied. “There. _Now_ you have my seal of approval.”

She led Aerith to a full-length mirror, and Aerith couldn’t help but stare at her own reflection. Was the creature looking back at her really her? Elegant, sophisticated, like a statue come to life. Not at all how Aerith felt in her day-to-day life. Was this the kind of thing wealthy women got to indulge in? The kind of life she might’ve known if she hadn’t been in a lab the first seven years of her life and living in the slums ever since? Hiding who she was, hiding her true nature, hiding her true powers?

“Well, what do you think?” Madam M asked, coyly hiding half her face behind that fan of hers.

“I look beautiful. I can hardly recognize myself.”

“It’s like I said before, Aerith. You’re a natural beauty. The dress and hair and makeup and jewelry are my very best, of course, but all they do is draw out what’s already there.”

“Meaning…?”

“Your outer beauty matches your inner beauty, and for once you’re allowing them both to shine.” She sighed dramatically. “And all so you can go to that pig Corneo. My apologies. A girl like you should get to dress up like this because she wants to, not because she has to.”

“So I’m good to go?”

“Yes. A man named Johnny is waiting for you in the lobby. If it wasn’t for the fact he has a message for you, I would’ve kicked him out for the second time this evening. But before you go, I have a question about your friend Cloud. One of my associates would like to meet him. He’s taken a special interest in him.”

“Oh boy, this sounds good.”

Madam M smirked. “I think you would be better off entering Corneo’s mansion with Cloud, and Andrea Rhodea of the Honeybee Inn should be able to help make Cloud look the part. Keep your wits about you, and whatever you do, do not let all my hard work go to waste.”

“Yes ma’am. Thank you for all the help.”

When Aerith entered the lobby, Johnny slowly stood, gawking at her like this was the first time he’d ever seen a pretty girl in a dress. “Woah, Aerith, you look amazing! If I hadn’t already decided I’m gonna marry Tifa, you’d be a top contender.”

She laughed at that. “Thank you, Johnny, that means a lot.”

His smile in return was big and goofy and sincere, then he started like he’d just remembered something. “Right! Uh, Cloud told me to tell you to wait here—”

Aerith shook her head. “Uh-uh. _I’ll_ be going to Cloud. I’m getting worried about him, wandering the streets alone in a seedy place like this. Would you do me the honor of escorting me to him?”

“Sure thing,” he said, giving her a thumbs up. “But before we go… You deserve the royal treatment! Wait here till I come back. You’re gonna love what I have in mind for your grand entrance!”

“Grand entrance…?” Aerith managed to get out before Johnny was gone. “Well, it _would_ be fun to make a scene I suppose… Plus the splashier an entrance I make, the more likely it is the plan will work…

Johnny burst through the door again not long after. “I’m back!” he cried, a rolled up red carpet under his arm. Madam M yelled at him for yelling inside her parlor, and Aerith giggled and pulled him out the door before Madam M could inflict any physical damage.

“Thank you Johnny,” she panted when they were safely outside. “Now let’s get to that mansion.”

“Of course, my lady. Your grand entrance is gonna catch _everyone’s_ eye, and that’s a Johnny guarantee!”

She smiled sweetly. “I sure hope so.”


End file.
